What US said as India joins State Department-led Pax Silica
What's the story
India has officially joined the Pax Silica initiative, a major step toward strengthening cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and critical supply chains, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Pax Silica is the US Department of State's "flagship effort on AI and supply chain security, advancing new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners."
Strategic significance
'India's entry into Pax Silica a watershed moment'
US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, hailed India's entry into Pax Silica as a watershed moment in the changing global technology order. He said, "We welcome India into Paxilica... What struck me most wasn't just India's scale... it's India's resolve." Gor also linked this initiative with broader trade, defense and technology cooperation between the two nations. "From the trade deal to Paxilica to defense cooperation, the potential for our two countries to work together is truly limitless," he said.
Coalition goals
'Paxilica will be a group of nations'
Gor described Pax Silica as a coalition covering the entire technology supply chain, from critical mineral extraction to chip manufacturing and AI deployment. He said, "Paxilica will be a group of nations that believe technology should empower free people and free markets." The declaration was signed by several countries, including Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Singapore, the UAE, and the UK.
Future vision
'Partnership is testament to vital importance'
US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jacob Helberg also spoke at the summit. He emphasized that "the future belongs to those who build and when free people join forces." Helberg praised Gor for strengthening ties between New Delhi and Washington and said this partnership is a testament "to the vital importance that the United States places on this friendship."
Strategic response
'Pax Silica response to economic coercion threats'
Helberg also noted that Pax Silica is a response to the daily threats of economic coercion and blackmail faced by allies. He said, "We find ourselves grappling with a global supply chain that is massively over-concentrated." "So today, as we sign the Pax silica declaration, we say no to weaponized dependency, and we say no to blackmail, and together, we say that economic security is national security, but we must be precise about what that word means," he added.
Pact
'We are securing full stack of the future'
He said with Pax Silica, "We are forging a supply chain that is the foundation for prosperity. We are building a new architecture that diffuses intelligence, placing the awesome power of AI into the palm of our people's hands and unleashing a wave of unprecedented possibility from the minds to the models." "We are securing the full stack of the future, the minerals...in the earth, the silicon wafers in our labs and the intelligence that will unleash human potential."